The Dolores Brownhofer Neonis Photograph Collection (approximately 1940-1970) contains photographic prints, negatives, and a slide depicting the Brownhofer family at restaurants, bars, and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Breck Wall Photograph Collection, approximately 1960 to 1980, consists of black-and-white photographic prints depicting comedian and entertainer, Breck Wall, and other cast members of the comedy revue, “Bottom’s Up!” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Images include scenes from sketches performed on the show, group shots of the cast members off-set, and portraits of Wall.
Oral history interview with Magdalena Martinez conducted by Monserrath Hernandez and Barbara Tabach on April 4, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Magdalena Martinez recalls her childhood and growing up in Los Angeles, California. Martinez's parents are from Durango, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Martinez describes the generational differences that the women in her family faced and how the feminist movement of the 1970s did not resonate with women of color. Her family moved to Las Vegas in 1986 where she attended Bishop Gorman High School. After transferring to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) from community college and joining a student organization that would later become Student Organization of Latinxs, she became an early member of the Latino Youth Leadership Conference (LYLC) sponsored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Martinez describes how the LYLC has evolved over the years, and talks about her role in those changes. She discusses past work for CSN, NSHE, and currently is the Director of Education Programs with the Lincy Institute.
The Outpost Motel sign sits at 1104 North Boulder Highway. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet. Site name: Outpost Motel (Las Vegas, Nev.) Site address: 1104 N Boulder Hwy Sign owner: Vegas Outpost Motel LLC Sign details: The Outpost motel was built all the way back in 1937 and still resides out in Henderson along Boulder Highway. The current sign was installed around the 1950's. Sign condition: 5, the sign is in excellent condition. Sign form: Pole Sign-specific description: This pole sign has a zig-zag like design on the top of it. Underneath that is the word "OUTPOST" in bold white letters against a forest green background. "MOTEL" is painted under that in bold white letters as well. "VACANCY" is painted under the "OTEL." Outlined in neon is "NO," which is difficult to see if it's not lit up. Each of these words is outlined with neon as well so you can see them at night when the sign would be lit up. The lower half of the sign is a back lit reader board. On the outer edge of the sign is a large, yellow arrow that extends from the top of the sign above the "O" in "OUTPOST" and points to the reader board. This is also covered in incandescent light bulbs. Sign - type of display: Neon, incandescent, backlit reader board Sign - media: Steel and plastic Sign - non-neon treatments: Reader board Sign animation: From photos, it looks as though the sign has some sort of animation to it in the yellow arrow on the outer edge. The incandescent light bulbs look as though they twinkled, but it is difficult to tell exactly how or in what direction. Sign environment: This property sits way out in Henderson along Boulder Highway. It is down the street from Sam Boyd Stadium, Clark County Wetlands Park, and the Henderson Bird viewing Preserve. The properties that sit immediately next to the motel are a few small casinos and a random assortment of businesses. Sign - date of installation: Possibly the 1950's Sign - date of redesign/move: Photos from 2014 show that the sign was in a rough condition at one point, but in 2015 it received a fresh coat of paint. Sign - thematic influences: The design for this sign is similar to many of the small motel throughout the city from the 1950's/60's era. They usually have one major element that makes them striking when viewed from the street view, for this sign it would be the big, yellow arrow. It is also a pole sign and many of the motels from this time period use this style of sign. Survey - research locations: Roadside architecture http://www.roadarch.com/signs/nv2.html , Classic Las Vegas website ghhhttp://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/classic-las-vegas-photo-galler/classic-las-vegas-signs/900788 , Asessor's Page http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/assessor/Pages/searchbybusinessname.aspx , Flickr website for photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/294981090 Survey - research notes: There are not many sources discussing the history of this property. Surveyor: Lauren Vaccaro Survey - date completed: 2017-08-28 Sign keywords: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Reader board; Pole sign; Directional
The Star Motel sign sits at 1418 South Third Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet. Site address: 1418 S 3rd St Sign owner: M V Star Group LLC Sign details: 0.33 acre lot, originally constructed in 1947. Sign condition: 4 - The sign is in excellent condition, but it does not light up at night. Sign form: Pole sign Sign-specific description: The sign itself is attached to a silver pole that extends out toward 3 rd St and is planted into the ground. On the top of the pole is a bright, blue star with a smaller white star in the center. The neon tubes attached to the sign are in concentric star shapes radiating out from the center. Extending out from the star to 3 rd st and curving back towards the pole that hold the sign is a trail implying that this is a shooting star. The first third of this trail is white and then the paint changes to yellow and remains yellow for the rest of the trail. The entire trail of the star is covered with yellow incandescent light bulbs. There are three very thin steel poles on the opposite side of the star from where the trail is attached. These smaller poles run parallel to the main pole of the sign and end about the same place where the tail of the star ends at the other side of the pole. Attached to these thin poles are stars ranging in size and made out of neon tubes. About at the midpoint of the main pole supporting the sign is a minimal, bright blue arrow that has "MOTEL" painted on it in bold white letters with a black outline. Neon tubes in the shape of each letter are attached to the center of the letters. Attached to the bottom of the tail end of this arrow is a smaller, minimal, black arrow that has "VACANCY" painted on it in bold white letters. Neon tubes in the shape of these letters fill this sign as well. Sign - type of display: Neon and Incandescent Sign - media: Steel Sign animation: Unknown, as it no longer lights. However according to RoadArch.com, at one time it might have flashed. Sign environment: The property is in the heart of the Arts District. It resides next to many other small motels in this neighborhood. It is only a few blocks away from Main Street and Charleston where there are many art galleries, restaurants, and vintage boutiques. Sign - date of installation: c. 1950s Sign - date of redesign/move: Based on earlier photographs from the 1950's, the sign's main star that is blue with a smaller white star in the center was originally all white. Also, the white and yellow trail it leaves behind was initially all yellow as well. It is also believed that there were more stars attached to the metal bars that extend from the blue and white star and that they would have flashed. Sign - thematic influences: A popular theme for properties during this time was the Space Age and this is sign is an example of that influential theme. Sign - artistic significance: This sign shows an influence of the Space Age that was going on during the late 50's. Many motel signs in the city evoked the theme for the property and this sign does so for the Star Motel. Survey - research locations: Assessor's website, Vintage Vegas, www.roadarch.com Surveyor: Lauren Vaccaro Survey - date completed: 2017-08-21 Sign keywords: Neon; Incandescent; Steel; Pole sign
The Palm Piazza sign sits at 1919 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet. Site address: 1919 Fremont St Sign owner: Zen Real Estate Holding Sign details: This building dates back to 1936 and was made for commercial living accommodations/ deluxe motel. Previous to the Palm Piazza opening this location was called the Ariza Motel which was abandoned for a few years. Kamran Foulad in 2013 purchased this building to renovate it in an effort to revitalize downtown. The Palm Piazza opened as an apartment complex in late 2013. Sign condition: 4- slight fading but still in good condition Sign form: Pylon Sign-specific description: There is a black base of the sign that is not very tall which holds a back lit plastic sign that has an image of a lady under a palm-tree leaf canopy and the location's phone number in black numbers. Above this is a blue steel backing that in the shape of a sideways trapezoid which is about half of the width of the black sign beneath it (and is laid on the building side of the sign). This portion has black back lit plastic letters that spell out "The Palm Piazza" in a bubbly cursive font towards the top of the sign. Then below this in yellow skeletal neon tubes they have "Luxury Living" spelled out in a thin tight cursive font. On the road side of the sign there is an arrow blue steel arrow that points down towards the black portion of the sign. The arrow is outlined in yellow neon tubes and has "Enjoy Las Vegas" in clear print font skeletal neon tubes. Sign - type of display: Neon and back lit plastic signs Sign - media: Steel and plastic Sign - non-neon treatments: Plastic portion of the sign Sign environment: This area is located East Fremont close to Bruce Street. There are other motels surrounding this area. Sign - date of installation: This sign has been up in form that we see today in 2013, though it looks as though they re-purposed/redesigned the sign that the Ariza Motel (previous property name) had. The previous sign has been up since at least 2007. Sign - date of redesign/move: 2013- Ariza Motel blade taken down and the rest of the sign redesigned for the Palm Piazza. Sign - thematic influences: Previous to the apartment complex it was a motel and their signs still has remnants of that 1950/60's motel sign design particularly with the arrow. Survey - research locations: Assessor's Page, Review Journal article discussing the renovation of the building https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/developer-eyeing-overlooked-las-vegas-downtown-area-gets-city-boost/, Google map sattelite/ roadside view Survey - research notes: On the top portion of the blue steel sign there are 3 short black steel beams coming out of it which used to hold an old MOTEL blade sign which was taken down around 2013. Surveyor: Emily Fellmer Survey - date completed: 2017-09-09 Sign keywords: Neon; Backlit; Plastic; Steel; Pole sign
“I decided to just keep going, and I devoted my career to higher ed. I wanted to continue putting back into this system that I felt I got a lot out of. Again, repaying a debt.” What began as a passion for playing school sports would later lead Dr. Len Jessup on a path to lifelong service in the area of higher education. From his California childhood he would soon find himself across different U.S. states performing various higher education duties from professor to university president. In this interview, Jessup talks about his grandparents’ decision to emigrate from Italy to the U.S. and how grateful he feels towards his family as a result. He recalls playing baseball in college. In his eyes, being part of several sports teams helped him develop into the person he is now. He describes doing research during at the University of Arizona and speaks to what it was like moving from one university position to the next. Ultimately, his colleagues would recommend that he move to Las Vegas to
On March 9, 1981, Laura Button interviewed Sam Earl (born 1912 in Virgin, Utah) about his life in Nevada. Also present during the interview is Sam’s wife, Melissa Earl. The three discuss a wide range of topics from the early development of Las Vegas, Sam’s work on the Boulder Dam, the Earls’ early residence in a tent, and the family’s religious participation. The interview also covers gambling, Block 16, the first members of the police force, recreational activities, and the Helldorado parade. Sam also talks about his work as a building contractor, including some of the buildings and casino properties he helped build, and the interview moves to a discussion of the development of the Las Vegas Strip. The interview concludes with Sam’s description of his work as a truck driver and a discussion on welfare benefits.